Articles

Andrew Marriott and Ram Yoro, in conjunction with the Philippine Commission on Sports and Scuba Diving and the Mabini Department of Tourism, have published their guidebook to diving at Anilao, Philippines. The “Guide to Anilao” describes 50 dive sites over 268 pages.

Today, December 7, the island nation of Palau has adopted a new entry visa program for all visitors called the Palau Pledge. All visitors are required to watch a four-minute film about treating the resources of Palau with care and respect. The passport entry stamp includes the pledge that all visitors will be required to sign: a promise to protect Palau for future generations. The pledge has been translated into five languages.

Researchers from the University of Illinois have developed a camera that can see polarized light. Called the Mantis Cam, due to the animal’s 16 color receptors and 6 polarization channels, the new cam works by stacking photodiodes on top of each other, which allows for shorter light wavelengths to be absorbed. It will allow the early detection of cancers in humans, and help decode the ways animals communicate underwater.

Daniel Keller of Keldan Lights has published a video showing how filters effect the way cameras record colors underwater. Utilizing a side by side rig with two Canon 70D, one equipped with his Spectrum filters and the other one without, it shows that filters will help achieve more pleasing colors than can captured by using camera white balance alone.

Instagram has announced a new policy to try and prevent the spread of imagery that is harmful to wildlife. When an individual attempts to view images that have certain hashtags, this will result in a warning entitled “Protect Wildlife on Instagram” which explains that they should be aware that the hashtag may “be associated with posts that encourage harmful behavior to animals or the environment.”

The results of the 2017 Anilao Shootout have been announced. The event took place from 28 November to 2 December and was run by the Philippines Department of Tourism. Congratulations to Lilian Koh and PJ Aristorenas for their grand prize winning images and to all the participants that produced the amazing imagery that is among the placings.

Wetpixel editor Adam Hanlon provides some personal comments about the tragic recent shark bite fatality that occurred off the Cocos Islands, Costa Rica last week. As a community, we should join together to offer our thoughts and support for all those directly affected by the tragedy. It is also important to avoid speculation and incorrect assumptions about the cause.

A female scuba diver has died following an encounter with a Tiger Shark while ascending to a safety stop after completing a dive in Cocos Island. A 26-year old dive master, Mr. Jimenez, was also injured by the shark. The female diver has been identified by last name Bhandari and was 49-years old. The diver in Bhandari’s group were visiting Cocos Island with the Undersea Hunter group.